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taxpayer

Etymology and origin of the English word taxpayer

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1797
Ultimate origins
Old French (taxer)English (payer)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin tango
Latin taxo
English tax
English taxpayer

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtakspeɪə/[1]

Etymology

It is from English tax + payer, also written tax-payer.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who pays a tax or taxes: 1816 in Etymonline and the OED;[2][3] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1797.[4]

Semantic evolution

Taxpaying is from 1832.[3] In American colloquial use a taxpayer was also a building just big enough to bring in an income covering the taxes on the land, from 1921.[3]

Timeline

  • 1797 – taxpayer (Merriam-Webster).[4]
  • 1816 – taxpayer (OED).[3]
  • 1832 – taxpaying.[3]
  • 1921 – a cheap building (US).[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person or organization that pays taxes or is liable to taxation.

Word family

  • taxpaying
  • tax
  • payer
  • taxation

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
Cite this entry

“Taxpayer.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/taxpayer. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·